The Crimson Snow
by smeege
Summary: Hiroshi is in love with a girl he has never met before and he doesnt even know her name. Is she real?...sometimes beauty can shatter even he strongest of hearts.This hasn't got the real characters of FFX but the story and ideas were inspired greatly by it
1. Chapter 1

**INTRO -**

Deep crimson soaked through the pure white snow. There was no way to stop the bleeding now. Hiroshi knelt down next to the almost lifeless body of Akina. He was struggling to fight the tears back. Her beautiful sky blue kimono was now sprinkled with tiny snowflakes and masked the blood, which seeped through the silk. He took her by the shoulders and lifted the top half of her body. Akina's eyelids softly opened to reveal sea green eyes. They looked even more beautiful now knowing that he would miss the way they sparkled when she looked at him. Although her eyes glimmered like ocean water, they seemed somewhat dreary and happy to finally be put to rest. She could barely forge a smile, which made Hiroshi realize that by now the tears were streaming down his dark skin. He held her closer and tighter, making a promise to himself that he would never let go. He brushed her auburn hair out the way of her face and lightly kissed her on the forehead. Her eyes lit up and she found some energy to string a short sentence together.

"Don't … don't dwell over me… when I'm gone," she paused and recoiled in pain ", I – I will be holding you close."

And with that she placed her hand over her heart and gave a sweet smile. Her voice was soft and angelic and the words lingered in his head long after she had finished speaking. He whimpered and part of him inside shredded to pieces. He could no longer hold it back. He had to say it…

"Akina…. I …"

She placed one finger on his lips and it was clear, he could read it in her eyes. He didn't need to say it anymore and now he too felt at peace. His eyes stared into hers until he realized she was gone and her hand that was once warm and touching his lips was limp and hung from her body almost touching the snow. He drew her even closer and cried on her shoulder.

A single tear rolled down her cheek and fell onto the crimson snow…

**AN: That's just the intro… More chapters up to 3 are next. Please review. I'd love to know what u think. No flames please:D**


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 1-

"Hiroshi! … Hiroshi! Where are you? You are meant to be helping your father with the market today!" A chirpy voice from downstairs reminded him he had been awake for quite some time now. The voice came closer and the shuffling of heavy shoes assembled outside his bedroom doors.

"Hiroshi!"

Finally Hiroshi lifted himself from the sunken mattress and lumbered over to his door. Standing outside the frame was his mother. She was short and stout. She wore a little tailored kimono and her hair was scraped back into a tight bun, sticking out the sides were two pins with various small dangling beads and charms, which tinkled every time she moved her head slightly. Her lips were tightly pursed and her eyes bored into his waiting for any sign of movement. Hiroshi nodded his head sleepily and disappeared into his room again to get ready for the market.

The sky was shrouded with long, bloated grey clouds and there was a sure possibility of rain. Yet the air was still humid and sticky, not the best of weather for the market. But still it was time he used well to spend with his father and earn some decent money. Nothing usually distracts him from his work but today was different. While Hiroshi and his father strolled down to the market place, his mind felt somewhere else. He could only think of the dream. It was a recurring dream that he had been having for the past week or so. Who is the girl in his dreams? Akina…? Why are his feelings so strong for someone he's never met before? It wasn't like him at all to have been so smitten with a girl, let alone feel like he was… well, actually in love. All these confused feelings only provided him with more and more questions. Nothing he could think of gave him an answer. It might just be a silly dream, however he clung onto it in the vein hope that an answer might just pop into his head later on. But for now he suppressed it, combed the hair out of his face with his fingers and got on with work.

The usual hustle-bustle of the Saturday markets could set anybody's concentration somewhere else but Hiroshi was a determined worker. His father and he owned a stall for selling fish, bread, rice and other produce. It made them fairly well off considering they live in quite a poor city. Hiroshi's job was to look over the produce, make sure no one would tarnish it, damage it, make it of any less value or worst of all steal it. He had never dealt with someone stealing their produce so wasn't quite sure what to do when the time came. But he was certain it wouldn't happen to him.

A woman with a tatty brown cloak approached the stall. Her hood veiled her face and she started talking to his father and pointing to the incense. Hiroshi started to wonder what such a poor and scrubby woman would want to do with incense. Then he saw the most unnerving thing; a hand slowly reached and snatched a loaf of bread stuffing it into the woman's shoulder satchel. The grubby woman finished talking to Hiroshi's father, turned and walked away. The only thing he knew what to do was to run, run after her and see what happens when he catches her.

"H-Hey! You! Come here!" He yelled clueless.

The woman turned her head and started to walk faster.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" He shouted louder this time.

Hiroshi turned a few heads in the crowd including that of the woman. Now she had broke into running. So he ran after her. She was faster than he thought. They ran through the crowd pushing people out the way and knocking over baskets full of fruit. She then took a sharp turn left into the trees and bushes. Hiroshi tried to be as agile but failed miserably as he tumbled over then scrambled back up to his feet and took off into the trees. It was then he noticed rain coming lightly in through the tops of the trees, dripping off leaves and branches. Still he had the grubby woman in his sight. She was dodging and weaving under branches and around tree trunks. He tried hard to do the same. Slowly he started to catch up as she lost her breath and speed. Suddenly she took a high leap over a fallen, moss-covered log. Hiroshi knew he couldn't jump that high so he ducked under it. The woman had fallen over after jumping the log so this was his chance. She jogged quite slowly now but Hiroshi was just starting to gain his speed. Finally he jumped and grabbed her, tackling her to the ground. They both landed with a great THUD.

Her hood had slipped off her head to reveal a surprisingly youthful face. Her lips were slightly parted and panting, her cheeks looked soft and rosy and her cheekbones were set high making her face look even and almost perfect. But the thing that stood out most was her eyes. Her eyelashes were full and soft and curved upwards and her eyes were wide open as if she were astonished. The colour was the most beautiful he had ever seen… a sea green. Hiroshi sat back in amazement. His brown, almost black eyes watching her. The likeness to the girl in his dreams was remarkable. She sat there staring at him right back. It seemed she was fixated on something about him. After a few moments, the girl turned and started to walk away briskly. Hiroshi wasn't worried about the loaf anymore, although he knew his father would be wild with rage about a loss of produce.

Hiroshi choked to get the words out. He didn't know what to say. What could he say? He was stripping his mind frantically for that damn name. He opened his mouth but nothing came out. So he tried once more.

"A-Akina!" He spat out thoughtlessly.

She seemed to walk ahead for a moment then stop dead in her tracks.

"You don't know me." She whispered.

She then kept walking ahead until a leafy green background consumed her and Hiroshi could no longer see the muddy brown of her cloak. 


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 2-

Once Hiroshi had returned to the market, he soon found his father with a confused and yet angry expression about his face. Being the sort of pride driven man his father was, he didn't speak to him until they returned on their way home.

"Carry this please Hiroshi."

Hiroshi put his arm out to carry some fishing rods and bamboo branches. As soon as he hoisted the objects upon his shoulder his father began to speak again.

"What was the reason you ran after that young woman today Hiroshi?" He questioned raising an eyebrow. It never occurred to Hiroshi that by chasing down a thief, it might've been classified as being wrong.

" Uhh…um, I was trying to get back the loaf of bread she put in her bag," He answered hoping it was the right one. ", She was a thief wasn't she?"

Father shook his head and was silent for a minute or two. He stopped walking and gestured to Hiroshi to sit down on a rock next to him.

"Your mother and I," he began ", we know that young woman, and her family. You see we owe them a great deal of money. Why… I cannot say. That information is not for you to know. Although you did the right thing if it had been a thief, but their family can take anything from our stall for free, that way we can pay off our debt easier."

Hiroshi didn't say a word but instead picked up the bamboo branches, fishing rods and hoisted them onto his shoulder again. He then followed his father home feeling quite embarrassed. He felt so stupid for shouting that girls name out and chasing her down. He realized that it might've not just been the bread he was chasing her for; maybe it was because he knew it was her and wanted to find out for sure. The girl did match that of his dreams but the way she reacted, it might not be her at all. With that thought he felt emptiness inside, like he had just been excited for nothing.

There was only one way to put his mind at rest. He had to retrace his steps and find her again.

The sun was hovering over the horizon not yet ready to set and the clouds were fluffy and sharply detailed now that the rain clouds had passed. The sunlight it all gave off bathed Hiroshi' face in an orange fuchsia colour. His mother was now downstairs painting and his father out fishing for the market next week. This was time when neither parents would bother him until the morning, so he decided that he would go and find this mysterious girl. He snuck out through the window and made his way down to the market grounds.

All the stalls were packed up and had gone home making it look so different and bare compared to the busy, crowded marketplace he knew. The road forked where the grounds ended but he remembered she had taken a sharp left into the bushes. So he ran blindly through the trees not recognizing a single path. Finally a fallen mossy log was in sight; he ducked under it like before and found disturbed dirt and leaves where he had tackled the girl earlier. The girl walked straight forward from there so that's what he did. He walked for what seemed like forever but he could still see her face in his mind. She was a peasant but the most unique person he had ever seen. Finally he arrived at what seemed like a small property amongst a lush garden consisting of a large pond crowded with mossy rocks. A large tree hung over the pond and underneath it was what looked like a small figure of a person concealed behind its leafy, full branches. He couldn't quite make it out from here so he crept a little closer. A musical instrument was now audible and sounded as if it was a lute like the one his mother played. She played it so well. He crept even closer and stepped on a wobbling rock, it made a noise and suddenly she stopped. She placed the lute down next to her and started to stroke her hair. It was long, soft and flowed in the wind like a waterfall. On one side it was restrained by a hair slide with a large lily. The sunlight made her hair look angelic, so auburn and straight. Her red kimono fanned out around her as she was kneeling down. He wanted to reach out and say something to her, make his presence known. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. She smelt even better than the garden of flowers, vanilla, and a slight musk. She wasn't a peasant, but merely an angel. Still none of this provided an answer to who she was.

"Have you seen enough?" The young girl questioned. Her back was still turned to him and she had stopped playing with her hair. Yet again he was stuck for words and panicked.

"Uhh…err…um, I-Uhh," He rambled, she then giggled a little and turned her face to his. "Umm…hello, I am Hiroshi." Not the most charming of introductions. She stopped giggling and straightened her face.

"I know. You are Takki's son am I right?"

Hiroshi nodded and blushed a little.

"Listen, I'm sorry about earlier. I was only-" He started.

"Shhh," She interrupted, and then she gestured to her home where several family members were kneeling around a low table drinking what looked like tea. ", I am not meant to be seen by any common people. You shouldn't be looking at me right now, but I am happy to make an exception for you."

Hiroshi bit his lip trying to conceal a smile. He now had a fluttery feeling in the pit of his stomach. Maybe it was the thrill of being caught or because this girl had taken an obvious interest in him. He had only ever felt this way once; when he turned seven years old on the morning of his birthday when he opened his first present to see a fishing rod just like his fathers. But this feeling was slightly different. He was now ten years older and it had more meaning, it just made him want to shout her name to the world. Her name…what was her name?

"Excuse me for asking but, what is your name?"

She looked at him so sweetly and simply pulled the hair slide from the side of her head and placed it in his hand. It was surprisingly heavy and felt like it was made of glass. She effortlessly winked, stood up and walked inside her home. He could've just died right there and then he was in total bliss. He couldn't help but let go of a smile so big it made his face hurt. He slid the hairpin into his pocket and took off back to his house, crept through the window and slipped into bed with the smell of her perfume still lingering around him then fell asleep 


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 3 –**

The sweet scent circled around him tantalizing his senses with the fragrance of lilies and fresh ocean breezes. There was water as far as the eye could see, and the ocean stretched itself out underneath a breathtaking sunset. He stood upon a high cliff and at his feet were small flowers and wild grass. In his arms was the young girl. She breathed lightly and her chest moved in and out softly. He could feel her heartbeat, her very soul almost. He closed his eyes and breathed out feeling quite relaxed. She was wearing her sky blue kimono with the silk shimmering in the sunset. Then her voice broke the spell of silence.

"He will find us, he always does. I don't know what he'll do when he does," she started to shiver and then looked up into his eyes ", I'm scared Hiroshi."

He smiled at her and stroked her hair.

"I won't let him. If he tries to harm you, he has to fight me first." He reassured her then held her close again.

She started to shake uncontrollably and he then noticed her kimono was red again and blood was seeping through around her waist. She fell to the ground with a thump.

"Isaki!" he yelled in despair.

Hiroshi sat bolt upright in his sunken mattress. Breathing heavy and breaking out in a cold sweat. Her words and his yelling echoed through his mind and he could still feel the warmth of her blood on his shirt. Isaki? Who the hell was Isaki? That girl looked exactly like Akina. He fumbled for the edges of the lily hairpin in his pocket and examined it. There was no evidence of name or owner, just the pearly lustre of the glass lily's petals. He placed it underneath his pillow and ventured downstairs to greet his parents.

Hiroshi's mother and father were busy hustling around the kitchen preparing pans and pots for chickens and dumplings. This wasn't their usual morning routine.

"Ma, what's going on?"

"I can't talk right now Hiroshi," she rushed ", we are getting ready for a dinner tonight, you should be too. Please go down to the market on the south to get some more Fish Sauce."

With that she dropped a couple of coins into his hands. He then set off through the trees of their property and jumped over the fence feeling quite proud he made the jump. He had been practicing since he was younger to jump over that fence without touching it, it cost him a few broken bones but he was still persistent. Walking briskly down the dirt road and still smirking at his memories of jumping the gate, he recognized only one person. Everything else seemed to disappear and he only saw the back of a grubby brown coat purchasing goods of some sort. He kept walking and eventually everything else came back into view and the grubby brown coat was in front of him.

He tapped her on the shoulder and she jumped.

"Oh! You startled me." She gasped.

The shopkeeper shot Hiroshi a nasty look then got back to serving another customer. There was an awkward silence between the two, then Hiroshi' eyes met hers and hers soon fell to the floor as she blushed.

"I still don't know your name." He blurted out.

She smirked and examined a coin in her fingers, "Ah, well then I guess you'll just have to wait won't you?"

She threw the coin up in the air and snatched it back. She then straightened herself and walked away humming a little tune. It sounded familiar and sweet, but he didn't spend too much time dwelling over it. Instead he watched her walk away and kicked himself for sounding like such a loser. He rolled his eyes remembering what he came for. Approaching the counter the shopkeeper gave him a dark look and asked,

"Now what would you be doing talking to that young woman back there hmm? I would stay as far away as possible my son; you have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

"But I just came here for-" The shopkeeper interrupted him by placing a bottle of Fish Sauce on the counter and took the money from his hand.

_What would that old man know about it? He has no right to tell me how to live. Who does he think he is? 'No idea what you're getting yourself into.' What a cocky bastard._

He made his way home mumbling to himself and kicking rocks out of the way.

"Hiroshi! Come inside and get ready for the dinner! Did you get the fish sauce! I want you to wear your special kimono I bought you a while ago alright?" His mother sounded rather flustered and she pushed him inside hurrying him along up the stairs.

"Okay…Ma…Ma!…alright!"

He shook his head as soon as his mother shut his shoji screen. These people coming for dinner, they can't be that important. No one we know is that high maintenance. He adjusted his kimono and sighed. He would rather be out in that garden with… wait, he still didn't know her name! He pulled out the lily hairpin from his pillow and tucked it inside his obi with the flower only just showing. No one would know where it's from so it was like his little secret that made him smile to himself. After smiling about the flower he soon found himself daydreaming about her pretty eyes, the way she stroked her hair and the way that red kimono fanned out around her like she was a little garden fairy. He came back out of the hazy dream and found himself smiling with a goofy look about his face. He snapped out of it and walked downstairs to a full table of bright, colourful food and flowers. His parents kneeling down on pillows looking quite pleased with themselves and humming patiently waiting for the guests to arrive. His mother turned her head and gasped in amazement at the sight of Hiroshi wearing his expensive, night sky blue kimono. She had never seen him so dressed up.

Then there was a knock at the door. Time stopped for a moment or two then Takki slowly stood up from his kneeling position and opened the door.

"Konbanwa," a friendly female voice from the door spoke soon before an elderly male voice,

"Konbanwa, Long time no see, Takki."

Takki guided them to the table as everyone stood, acknowledged each other and kneeled down next to the table. Hiroshi's mother smiled to herself as the guests hungrily eyed the smorgasbord of fish and rolls, sushi and platters of Sashimi. She gestured for everyone to start eating so they did. Hiroshi was sitting opposite his mother, to his left was his father at one end of the table and the opposing end were the two guests. The woman was plump and cheery wearing probably her best green kimono decorated with gold swirls and fireworks and the man was elderly with a long moustache and beard. His eyes were beady and darted around the room as if he was searching for a single fault in their home. There was something Hiroshi felt was a little uneasy about these people and he still did not know who they were. So he decided to find out.

"I am Hiroshi, Takki's son." He declared boldly while reaching for a baby octopus with the opposite end of his chopsticks.

The old man turned his head slowly and nodded. "I am Kazufumi, Ai's husband." Then he eyed the flower tucked in Hiroshi's Obi and gained a smug look about his face.

"I see you have a girl who is fond of you am I right…? You think you are in love?"

Everyone at the table paused and turned to Hiroshi. He swallowed his mouthful of rice and nodded, blushing.

"Ah, well might I ask who this girl is?" He questioned even further.

"No! I mean I do not even know this girls name, so I'm afraid I cannot tell you that."

Kazufumi leant over the table and gained eye contact with Hiroshi.

"Love is an infatuation my son, sometimes beauty can fool even the coldest of hearts." He stated with a glare in his eyes.

Hiroshi leaned away from Kazufumi, looking around at anybody else to see if they had just heard what he did. Kazufumi snatched a dumpling from a platter next to Hiroshi and kneeled back down.


End file.
